Community, Author at iSportConnect

Less Than 2 Months To Go: Here’s why Leading Gold Partner Sport Event Denmark returns to SportAccord every year

As one of the leading event sporting nations worldwide, Sport Event Denmark returns as Gold Partner for SportAccord 2024 to ensure Denmark remains firmly on the map.

“We’re not just attending SportAccord,” said Lars Lundov the CEO of Sport Event Denmark, its national sports organisation, “we’re shaping the future of international sporting events together.

“The convention is a ‘must-attend event’ for anyone involved in the business of sport – it’s where International Federations and other rights holders unite with forward-thinking cities, destinations, and nations. We’re thrilled to be back as Gold Partner.”

Uniting People

Denmark is a nation of sports lovers with over 250 world class sporting events under its belt in the last decade, including hosting the SportAccord convention in 2017.

“In recent years, the sporting landscape has evolved immensely and hosting major international events has taken on a whole new meaning,” continued Lars Lundov. “It’s all about human engagement and creating excitement both on and off the field of play, and uniting people.

“In Denmark, we’re not just hosting events for economic impact; we’re fostering communities and igniting passions across nations. Our presence at SportAccord underlines the importance of togetherness and networking.”

The Power of Sport

Sport Event Denmark will join global leaders at the World Sport & Business Summit (April 7 to 11), the only annual sports gathering with all International Federations (120+) under one roof, providing an unrivalled platform for key decision makers ‘where sport meets’.

This year, the summit conference will focus on the ‘Power of Sport’ and take place at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham – West Midlands, a region with strong sporting credentials, a rich history, stunning countryside and so much more.

The Power of Events

At Sport Event Denmark, preparations are well underway to ensure SportAccord delegates experience the power of sport first-hand when they visit the team at Stand 44. This year the Danish team will focus on the ‘Power of Events’ providing plenty of opportunities for delegates to become involved and share initiatives.

“2024 isn’t just another year, it’s a special centenary year, when the Olympic Games will return to Paris,” said Lars Lundov. “At our stand, Sport Event Denmark and our city partners will discuss the power of events with the delegates.”

Your Voice Counts

Sporting events, with their widespread appeal, play a distinctive role in promoting sustainability awareness. Covering this and more, delegates will be invited to share their thoughts on three key questions:

Which sustainability topic is most important in future event planning?
Do you have good examples where fans actively engaged in a green transition?
What aspects of the Paris Olympics are you most excited to experience, whether online or on-site?

Visitors to the stand will have a chance to win prizes, and winners will also be offered an exclusive portrait session with renowned Danish Sports Photographer, Lars Møller.

Shaping the Future Together

“Sport Event Denmark is an extremely important partnership for SportAccord and has been since the first edition,” said Uğur Erdener, President of SportAccord. We’re delighted to have their continued support as a Gold Partner and so much more.

“Earning a reputation as one of the leading nations for hosting major tournaments over the years, Sport Event Denmark understands what it takes to ensure the power of sport plays into every decision. Their friendly approach and expertise will ensure delegates experience the very best from this Danish team as we shape the future together ‘where sport meets’.”

Editor’s Notes

About SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit

The SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit brings together around 1,500 leaders and key decision makers from over 120 International Federations (IFs), the International Olympic Committee, and organisations involved in the business of sport.

The Summit provides an unrivalled platform enabling global business leaders and host cities to have access to all the International Federations and their stakeholders in one location over several days.

This unique event is a combination of official sports meetings, networking gatherings, a themed conference programme, and exhibition space enabling International Federations, industry, cities and regions to showcase and advance their sport, services and facilities.

About SportAccord

SportAccord is a sports event organisation based in the Olympic Capital, Lausanne, Switzerland, and governed by stakeholders representing the Olympic and non-Olympic International Federations.

It brings together International Federations, the IOC and organisations involved in the business of sport with the aim to serve, promote and protect the common interests of its stakeholders, help them achieve their global objectives and facilitate knowledge-sharing.

SportAccord’s stakeholders include:

ASOIF (Association of Summer Olympic International Federations)
WOF (Winter Olympic Federations)
ARISF (Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations)
AIMS (Alliance of Independent Recognised Members of Sport)

Visit SportAccord.sport or contact media@sportaccord.sport for more information.

SportAccord Contacts

sales@sportaccord.sport for further details about sales, exhibiting and partnering

media@sportaccord.sport for media enquiries

info@sportaccord.sport for any other questions

Sport Event Denmark Media Contact

Eline Anderson, Senior Communication Manager

ea@sporteventdenmark.com

www.sporteventdenmark.com

Leicestershire CCC’s Sean Jarvis on cricket in the UK becoming a global proposition and growth of Womens’ cricket

Leicestershire CCC has been focused on six pillars (cricket, commercial, company, community, communication and cash) and as revealed in a CGI video last year is aiming for a full ground redevelopment. iSportConnect’s Taruka Srivastav spoke with Leicestershire CCC CEO Sean Jarvis to know more about his development plans for the club.

Can you summarise your time at CCC?

The past four years have been incredibly challenging. When I arrived at the cricket club, as chief executive, it was literally two days before COVID broke out, which sent the club into a bit of a tailspin. But ironically, when we look back on those pandemic years, it gave us the opportunity to press a reset button, and effectively bought us a little bit of time to reflect on how we performed previously and what the strategy was going to be going forward.

It was looking at all the different parts of the business, from the cricket to the commercial, to how we operate as a business, to the financial side and trying to improve them. The main focus has always been on cricket first; getting the cricket part of the business, what we call the cricket pillar, in the best place it can be so that it could compete for trophies. The target was to try and win a trophy within five years. We actually won a bit of silverware last summer in the Metro Bank One Day Cup.

We’re now embarking on what we call our master plan for the future of Leicestershire County Cricket Club. At the same time, the other parts of the business all undertook a bit of a review, including the commercial side, the operational side and the community side of things – so all those different parts of the business have all undergone a bit of change as well and continue to do so. Whilst we’re not out of the woods, yet, we seem to have a bit of a brighter future ahead of us. I would summarise the past three years about rebuilding Leicestershire County Cricket Club to be a sustainable and competitive cricket club going forward.

Tell us about the club’s commercial partnerships.

Pandemic was the reset button. We had a look at the commercial operation and how, probably over a decade prior to the pandemic, the commercial engagement that was taking place between the cricket club and businesses in our community was pretty non-existent and diminished to almost zero. We used that year to look at how we can improve our relationships and invited businesses to become partners of Leicestershire County Cricket Club and join us on the journey.

We effectively approached a variety of businesses and a lot of them signed up and agreed to become partners and invest in the club. The partnership between ourselves and our businesses is not a simple Sponsorship Agreement. It’s more about how we can transfer knowledge between each other , how they can help us with what knowledge they have, how they can help us as a business and be part of the journey going forward. We also encourage our partners to get to know each other so that they can then trade with each other. We created a marketplace, so by being involved in Leicestershire, it allowed an exclusive club of partners and businesses to come together and then actually trade with each other. There’s then a benefit to becoming a partner of Leicestershire as well as enjoying the cricket and getting to know the cricket club.

Over the past four years, we’ve built that up gradually. What tends to happen is businesses that become partners of LCCC then start talking to other people which is an evolution and natural progression. And if we are successful as a cricket club, and successful in the relationships that we have, then eventually it creates a critical mass where momentum takes over and more and more businesses want to be part of it. I think our retention rate is in the high 90% at the moment with regards to businesses partnering Leicestershire County Cricket Club. That’s something that we’re proud of and we want to build on but I’ve still got a lot more to do. And then we have memberships. People supporting Leicestershire have increased over the past 3-4 years. We’ve seen bigger crowds which has become a more attractive proposition to commercial organisations and getting involved with Leicestershire. So the upward spiral of Leicestershire has been successful, but it’s been hard work and it’s been about developing relationships and understanding people’s objectives and what they want to achieve and their relationship with us.

On involving the community

I’ll give you three examples. One is around sustainability and the environment. We are developing a relationship with a company called EVE power, which is an electric power company. At the moment they are working with us on electric charges at our ground that serve our community and solar panels in different parts of our business. They bring their expertise to Leicestershire in terms of helping us be greener in our approach to how we operate as a business and we are obviously going to invest in that going forward.

Another one would be a company called Red Monkey Play which was more of a CSR approach. They’re a children’s playground manufacturer and they’re a partner of the club. They wanted to do something with our community to get them to come and play on our ground. So we created a cricket game that was all about everybody from different backgrounds: Hindus, Muslims, Catholics, atheists, celebrities etc. all coming together to play cricket in Leicestershire and it was a cricket game without barriers.

Another example was Melton Building Society who are a local building society here in the Midlands. Through our partnership with them, they helped to educate our academy players on financial management, because what tends to happen if you get a player who becomes a bit of a superstar, they can suddenly get an awful lot of money and all of a sudden, they’re not quite sure what to do with it and in many cases we see they can become very frivolous with their finances. So having somebody such as Melton Building Society as a partner of Leicestershire County Cricket Club meant that they could help our academy players understand their own financial management. So we are using Partner’s expertise to help educate our staff and our people to be better informed and make better choices as they go forward.

What entails a good partnership?

I think it’s very important that when we meet a potential partner, we listen to what it is they want because we want the partner to be a long term partner of Leicestershire. We don’t want them just to be here for a year and disappear. We want them to be here for a long time and to benefit from the relationship that they have with Leicestershire. We understand their objectives and then we try to create a program that helps their objectives. We do have to understand what that business stands for, we try and do our due diligence on the businesses because we want them to be ethical and have good EDI policies. It’s like you’re entering a marriage with a partner so it’s very important that we do our homework and make sure that they have all the attributes that we want. So their family and community values are what we look for before we approach them. Once you have a like-minded organisation, the relationship then is very easy to create and we encourage them as to understand us, to get underneath our skin and understand our values as a business as well.

Growing popularity of cricket in the UK

Cricket is continuing to grow, certainly here in the UK. What we’ve seen over the past 2-3 years, is a real mushroom of women’s cricket. What we’re witnessing within cricket is that it is becoming a game for all. So whether that’s female, male or disability cricket, clubs are now really becoming very inclusive in their approach. There’s been a whole host of reports in the UK that’s made cricket clubs look at how they approach audiences in a very different light. We’re seeing good growth of cricket support in the UK. How the landscape will look in a few years’ time will be very interesting to see because I believe we could see overseas investment coming into cricket in the UK. The UK enjoys a different time frame to the likes of India so our cricket season doesn’t clash with India’s cricket season. Therefore cricket in the UK can become even more of a global proposition going forward but there’s a lot of discussion and debate to be had about how it helps the wider game. It can’t help just the select few. It’s got to help the recreational game, the women’s game, the disability game, the first class game, and the pathway academies. So any investment coming into cricket in the UK has to be done in the right way. It can’t be a mercenary investment, it needs to be distributed around the UK so that cricket can only get better and stronger. This year we will start to see a very interesting landscape that’s developing in the UK.

Cross partnerships between cricket clubs around the world?

I definitely think that’s the direction that cricket in the UK is heading. Traditionally, cricket clubs in the UK have been very closed shops but now the whole dynamic of cricket in the UK has changed considerably. Cricket clubs are starting to wake up to those potential relationships but it’s very early days and clubs are still a little bit guarded but I do think we will see relationships between UK cricket clubs, IPL teams, maybe Australian teams and maybe even American teams. There is going to be without question affiliations or ownership challenges over the next few years and I can speak on behalf of Leicestershire as we’re happy to explore those and have actually begun one or two conversations already. So there is still an awful lot of talking to be done but there is definitely an appetite in Leicestershire, and around the UK, to develop sustainable relationships between us and other clubs around the world.

Will 2024 be the defining year for Leicestershire CCC?

We want to build on the success that we achieved in 2023 and that was by creating an England player in Rehan Ahmed, and also winning some silverware. We want to grow on what we’ve done and hopefully, we can compete to win some further silverware. Whether we can win it or not remains to be seen but we want to be more of a competitive team than we have been for a long time.

I think off the field, we want to continue to build our commercial strength. It’s now about how we develop phase one of our master plan. The first quarter of this new year will be working with some partners on how we can focus on one part of the ground and actually look to build something that makes Leicestershire even more successful and sustainable in the future. So I think 2024 will be about us building on the foundations that we laid in 2023 with a view to real success in 2025 and 2026.

And will that include also developing focusing more on the women’s side of the sport as well?

Yes, that’s already begun. Our women’s team was originally run by our community department on a bit of a voluntary basis. We’ve now moved the women’s cricket team into our cricket pillar, and actually it is now governed by professional cricketers so it’s beginning to change already. We will look to make our women’s cricket more professional and elite in its approach and more successful by sharing the knowledge that the men’s cricket team has had over the umpteen years.

Canadian Olympic Committee signs ATPI Sports Travel as the official travel logistics partner

The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) announced that global sports travel and events management company ATPI Sports Travel has been selected as the Official Travel Logistics Services Partner of Team Canada. The partnership will see ATPI Sports Travel coordinate and oversee travel logistics for athletes, teams and staff ahead of the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

ATPI Sports Travel has been a partner of Team Canada since 2017, when the company was first selected as the COC’s Official Ticketing and Hospitality Services Partner.

“To be selected as an official supplier of the Canadian Olympic Committee is a huge achievement, and underscores our expertise in seamlessly managing the intricate travel requirements of today’s athletes during challenging conditions,” said Mathieu Marois, Managing Director of ATPI Canada. “This recognition not only validates our commitment to excellence, but also aligns perfectly with our wider plans to expand and enhance our footprint in the sports travel sector. Our passionate team has extensive experience in managing the complex needs of the dynamic world of sports travel, and we look forward to becoming an integral part of the COC team as they prepare for Paris 2024.”

With nearly three decades of experience working alongside high-profile athletes, international sports teams, and organizing committees and federations, ATPI Sports Travel brings a wealth of knowledge and elite sporting travel expertise to major sports events across the world every year. From the Olympic and Winter Olympic Games, FIFA World Cup, the Rugby World Cup and The Ocean Race, the company has built an acclaimed reputation in the sports travel sector for its bespoke solutions and around-the-clock support.

“ATPI has been a trusted partner of Team Canada for several years, and we are thrilled to have them as our Official Travel Logistics Services Partner for the upcoming Games,” said Jacqueline Ryan, Chief Brand and Commercial Officer of the Canadian Olympic Committee and CEO of the Canadian Olympic Foundation. “Sending Team Canada to Games is an incredibly complex logistical operation, and we couldn’t do it without the support of a partner like ATPI. This is going to be an exciting year, and I’m looking forward to working with them on the road to Paris 2024 and beyond.”

Darts hit the target

In this week’s Member Insights piece David Alexander, founder and MD of Calacus PR deep dives into the growing popularity of Darts.

It’s not that long ago that darts was associated with smoke-filled bars, pints and a male dominated crowd that didn’t exactly welcome a wide demographic of fans.

Watching Eric Bristow or Jacky Wilson with a cigarette or a pint as they played promoted a certain image that seems alien to the way the sport is now contested.

It all changed when Barry Hearn, the renowned promoter of snooker and boxing, led a breakaway from the governing body, the British Darts Organisation, to allow players to compete throughout the year and make a living from the sport.

The Circus Tavern venue gave way to Alexandra Palace and a prize fund of £64,000 with a winner’s cheque of £16,000 has risen to £2.5m with 96 players from around the world battling for the winner’s £500,000 grand prize.

The format may essentially have remained the same, but the event has taken on its own personality, blending sport and entertainment together with intro music for each player as they walk to the stage.

Darts has changed from being a sport for old men to a spectacle played and watched by a younger crowd, attracting attention from general sports fans over the Festive period in particular, rather than just a regular fanatical crowd, many in fancy dress outfits.

The sport has become progressive too, with Fallon Sherrock flying the flag for female players and beating men in the World Championships on more than one occasion.

No wonder Sky extended their broadcast deal until 2025 when the last contract came close to expiring and after this year’s drama, no one would bet against them extending it again.

That darts caught the imagination of the wider public is down in no small part to Luke Littler, the 16-year-old prodigy who reached the 2024 final last month, having first played when he was only 18 months old.

Perhaps his success shouldn’t have been a surprise, given that he was playing in under-21 competitions when he was just 10.

The unlikely star, who looks older than his teenage years, was a breath of fresh air, joking about his diet of kebabs and pizza and obsession with his Xbox.

He beat former world champions and his idol Raymond van Barneveld on his way to the final to truly announce himself on the world stage.

Because of Littler, darts became front-page news, the talk of every UK television news show, and the 2024 World Darts Championship enjoyed record-breaking viewing figures thanks to Littler’s fairy-tale.

His semi-final against Rob Cross averaged 1.79m viewers with a peak of 2.32m viewers, up by 40 per cent on the previous overall record and for the final that rose to a total audience of 4.8m viewers – the highest-ever non-football audience for Sky Sports.

Darts even dominated social media with Instagram seeing 11.8m video views and 10.2m total reach on Facebook. The Sky Sports website and app also saw 2.44m follow the live blog, up 307 per cent compared to last year’s final’s 648,000.

Sky Sports Darts’ Wayne Mardle, who knows a thing or two about the sport, believes that Littler is the real deal.

He said: “I can’t remember someone going up there with such a swagger and just banging in 180s and hitting 11 and 12-darters like they are going out of fashion.

“I’m a darts fan first and foremost, I was watching it and I had goosebumps watching him. I love people achieving and that was a boy achieving something on the world stage.”

UK-based global darts retailer, Darts Corner‘s managing director Craig Heenighan underlined how this year’s World Championships have had an impact on the sport as a whole.

He said: “Luke Littler’s performance has captured the hearts of the nation. It’s clearly had had a huge impact. It’s not often that darts is on every radio station and on the back of every newspaper.

“If you think of elite-level sports, what 16-year-old could compete and make it to the final and have a have a really strong chance of winning?

“I think with the younger boys and girls around the country, looking at Luke, at the age of 16…. We’ve all seen the videos on TV of him playing (darts) in his nappy at 18 months old.

“I think that (says to) a new generation that darts is actually quite cool. And (they think): ‘I could be quite good at darts.’ And I think it just breathes new life, perhaps, into a new generation looking at the sport.”

It’s not just the teenage sensation that caught the headlines though.

In a sport where opponents respect each other and promote the positive atmosphere created by the excitable crowd, a word too for the eventual winner this year, ‘Cool Hand Luke’ Humphries, who, despite ensuring no fairytale ending for Littler, did a great deal for the sport himself over the course of the event.

Humphries made no secret of his battles with anxiety but has overcome the challenges and lost some weight which has also benefited his performances.

In the post-match press conference , Humphries added that speaking openly about his troubles “definitely helped me because it was a weight off my shoulders”.

“I’m definitely not the only person in this room that goes through it. I was very open and honest about it because it was affecting my career and it was hard to hold it in.

“There have been lots of people on social media who’ve said ‘You’ve really inspired me and helped me’. That makes me feel great. I didn’t do it because of that. I did it because I wanted to be open and honest. All of a sudden I had celebrities and sports stars that messaged me and said that they go through the same.”

While there have been reports of pubs and clubs closing, reducing the access to darts by those who do not wish to play at home, organisations such as Flight Club can attract a Gen Z crowd.

With more than a dozen locations in the UK and venues in the US and Australia, they feature hi-tech booths with pumping tunes that also serve brunch and cocktails and interactive screens to allow groups to play different games.

Littler went one step further at the Bahrain Masters final later in January, hitting a nine-dart finish as he beat Michael van Gerwen 8-5 to secure his first senior PDC title.

It will be fascinating to see if Littler’s rise has a lasting effect on the popularity of darts but you wouldn’t want to bet against it after the excitement and focus this year’s World Championships attracted.

Click here to know more about Calacus Sports PR.

Spotlight On APAC: The Conference Summit At SPORTEL Rendez-vous Bali

Regional trends from Indonesia to India, shaping sports broadcast and tech, from tackling piracy, to OTT, streaming, D2C, social media, content delivery, gaming, the future of football, women’s sports, the impact of sustainability and social awareness on the sports industry

Tickets are purchased, flights booked and hotel rooms reserved, though still time to jump aboard, for the next big event in Bali. In just a few weeks SPORTEL Rendez-vous Bali produced by the world’s leading event organiser for sports media, broadcast and technology, is returning from 22-23 February at the InterContinental Bali Resort, in collaboration with event partners Transvision and CubMu. A firm favourite at all SPORTEL events, the unique Conference Summit at Speakers Corner, with its easy access within the market for attendees to drop by, will enjoy topical Masterclass and Presentation sessions throughout the two-day event. Featuring a stellar speaker line up of decision makers and technology disruptors, a melting pot of international cultures, spanning Indonesia, SE Asia, Australia, the Indian subcontinent, Europe and beyond, will bring to the table a melting pot of Interntaional culture, experience and vision.

THURSDAY 22 FEBRUARY

Day one will dive straight into “Tackling Piracy in Sports in Indonesia & Asia: A Collaboration.” Attendees will gain insight on best practices in the fight to eradicate illegal piracy streaming in the region and internationally, with key local stake holders AVIA (Matt Cheetham) as collaborator and moderator, AVISI /Vidio (Hermawan Sutanto), plus Lega Serie A (Anna Guarnerio) and TMG (Bastien Casalta) who will discuss the way forward.

“With piracy still a major issue in Asia Pacific, it is great to see SPORTEL Rendez-vous Bali bringing together some of the top sports leagues and decision makers to discuss the importance of fighting piracy in this age of streaming. I am delighted to be moderating a panel that will showcase the efforts to fight against piracy in the region, and in particular in Indonesia, and the successes they have had.” Matt Cheetham, General Manager, CAP, Asia Video Industry Association

Next up LiveU (Chris Dredge) will share a case study: “Delivering Unforgettable Live Broadcasts from the Pacific Games 2023: A Case for Efficient IP-based Distribution” explaining how they helped engage a larger audience for the games and made more live content available with a cost effective, reliable and shortened producWon workflow.

Crossing regionally to the “The Indian Subcontinent: A Major Market for Sports Media & Tech”, the panel will look at how the region including Pakistan and Bangladesh, is now a major global market for sports media and a driver of technology change in the industry. In collaboration with and led by SportBusiness (Imran Yusuf), the session welcomes regional visionaries, robotic camera expert, Quidich (Gaurav Mehta), Pakistan broadcaster and digital platform Pi Pakistan/Tapmad (Layon Ivan Patrick Lobo) and proving it’s not all about cricket, Baseball United (Kash Shaikh), on bringing the US sport to a niche, but passionate fan base.

With the free to air model disappearing across the region, “OTT, Streaming & Content Delivery”, will explore with key stakeholders from SE Asia, how digital disruption adapts to local markets enabling a dynamic sports media landscape, with Indonesia’s premium streaming platform Vision+ (Clarissa Tanoesoedibjo), major broadcaster and digital platform beIN Sports Asia (Shahid Sen), Cambodian Broadcasting Service David Ulmer and FAST and content delivery provider OTTera (Stephen Hodge).

“This is my first time attending SPORTEL and I’m looking forward to sharing my experiences and exploring the tremendous changes happening in broadcasting & OTT streaming across SE Asia on this panel. It looks to be a great event for networking with the entire international broadcasting & content community.” David Ulmer, CEO, Cambodian Broadcasting Service

First time SPORTEL presenters i3D.Net (Deniz Arslan) will take the stage for: “Gaming & Sports, the Competition is Online and in Real Time” expanding on keeping fans hooked through online experiences, whether it be a goal, a finish, or a home run and how to leverage infrastructure to interact, produce and distribute live and on-demand content across the globe.

Football always scores a big goal at SPORTEL and “Raising the Game: The Future of Football in Indonesia” will be no exception. This highly anticipated discussion will explore what is potentially a massive future media market for football, with a hugely engaged local audience in a vibrant, growing economy, providing commercial potential for international properties alongside the domestic league. This power panel includes three key Indonesian industry stake holders SCM & VIDIO (Sutanto Hartono), Bali United (Yabes Tanuri), RCTI (Dini Putri), plus German powerhouse Bundesliga International GmbH (Kevin Sim), with the session moderated by and in collaboration with SportBusiness (Imran Yusuf).

“It is an honor to be part of a panel in SPORTEL Bali 2024. Indonesian football is now gathering an uprising positive momentum and with SPORTEL choosing Indonesia as the place for their Asia event, it will make Indonesian football more known or acknowledged in the football world.” Yabes Tanuri, CEO, Bali United.

To close day one on an innovative and entertaining note, a selection of SPORTEL newcomers will join the “Pitch Perfect” quick fire session to present their solutions or creative business models in front of the international jury and participants to see who will be crowned the Perfect Pitcher!

FRIDAY 23 FEBRUARY

Kicking off day two, the spotlight will shine on the “Boom in Women’s Sports: From Viewership to Commercial Properties” exploring how Asia stands in comparison with the West’s opportunities for growth. The engaging and passionate female line-up features Fox Sports Australia (Marissa Banu-Lawrence), Asian Football Confederation (Connie Heng), Indonesia Multisair Sportama Imsporim (Linea Wahyudi) and moderator Global Sports InnovaWon Center (Iris Cordoba Mondejar). These leading ladies will share their insights and vision for the future of growing girl power around the region.

OpportuniWes for smaller properWes throughout the region and wider afield for “It’s a Niche – Riding High on DTC, OTT, Streaming & Social Media” will discuss how digital is making content such as “freemium” more accessible to smaller groups of, but no less passionate fans or talented athletes. Run in collaboraWon with Australian Sports Television Network (Cam Vale) with key experts in their fields, Fight NaWon (Laurent Puons), Cloudmix (Tim Kelly) Transvision/Avisi (Fachrul Prasodjo) and IMG Media.

“SPORTEL Rendez-vous Bali and this panel will be a perfect moment to share how OTT, social media and freemium models have offered a platform for niche and smaller properUes to grow. Fight NaUon is now established as the leading combat sports digital platform in France and OTT has opened the door to expansion on a European and moving forward worldwide level including Asia”, Laurent Puons, Co-Founder & CEO, Fight Nation.

A hot topic around “Monetising Sustainability & Championing Social Awareness Through Sports” will delve into the vibrant intersection of sports, finance, and sustainability, while highlighting positive social awareness through the power of sport. This esteemed panel features Transvision (Peter F. Gontha), Extreme E (David Gille_), Nusa Gatronomi (Muamar Vebry) and will be moderated by SPORTEL’s Joanna Merchie.

More information on the programme and speaker updates: https://www.sportelasia.com/programme/conference-summit

McLaren Racing signs financial platform Airwallex as official partner

McLaren Racing has announced Airwallex, a leading global payments and financial platform for modern businesses, as an Official Partner of the McLaren Formula 1 Team through the 2024 season and beyond.

The multi-year technology-focused partnership is underlined by a passion for innovation and excellence aligned with the fast-paced global nature of Formula 1. Airwallex’s pioneering platform will support McLaren’s financial operations and deliver efficiencies in the team’s multi-currency transactions to unlock new opportunities and scale globally.

Airwallex branding will be featured on the halo of the McLaren MCL38, as well as the overalls of McLaren Formula 1 Drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri for the upcoming 2024 season.

Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing, said: “In the competitive world of Formula 1, efficiency and performance are crucial both on and off the track. We are delighted to have Airwallex on board and use their innovative and trusted payment solutions to support our team’s financial operations.”

Jack Zhang, CEO and Co-Founder, Airwallex, said: “There are very few brands that match McLaren’s heritage and global appeal. Like McLaren, Airwallex is constantly innovating to move faster and with greater precision – with a product that unites people around the world. Our partnership will play a key role in supporting our global expansion, and we look forward to working with the McLaren team in 2024 and beyond to support our mutual growth.”

World Aquatics renews partnership with Nongfu Spring

World Aquatics has renewed its partnership with drinking natural water supplier Nongfu Spring, one of the leaders in the Chinese market.

Nongfu Spring is widely recognised for the quality of the products it supplies, its commitment to sustainability, and its emphasis on safeguarding natural water sources in China. Since its establishment in 1996, Nongfu Spring has continued to provide natural and healthy products around the world.

Nongfu’s commitment to the provision of safe and sustainable water is completely aligned with the World Aquatics vision for “A world united by water for health, life and sport”. Consequently, a renewal of the partnership that began in 2019 was a natural step.

Nongfu Spring and World Aquatics are excited about their further collaboration during this next landmark phase of the partnership. Nongfu Spring will act as an Official Partner for a number of aquatics competitions, including: the World Aquatics Championships, World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m), World Aquatics Artistic Swimming World Cup, World Aquatics Swimming World Cup and the World Aquatics Diving World Cup. Nongfu Spring water will be readily available at these World Aquatics events, with their involvement showcased across World Aquatics’ global broadcast audience of over 2.5 billion.

In addition, as part of the innovative collaboration, Nongfu Spring will provide crucial support on new development and learn-to-swim programmes in China, as well as a host of innovative new digital and social media initiatives, helping to shape the future of aquatics around the world.

PGA TOUR introduces Apple Vision Pro

The PGA TOUR has introduced PGA TOUR Vision, a new app built from the ground up for golf fans to experience golf and follow PGA TOUR tournaments.

PGA TOUR Vision was developed for Apple Vision Pro, Apple’s revolutionary spatial computer that seamlessly blends digital content with the physical world and will be available to download from the brand-new App Store with the release of Apple Vision Pro in the U.S.

With PGA TOUR Vision, golf fans can transform their space into immersive, spatial golf experiences that bring them closer to the action. At launch, PGA TOUR Vision will debut with the iconic par-3 seventh hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links, site of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and expand to include additional holes each week leading up to THE PLAYERS Championship when all 18 holes will be covered.

“PGA TOUR Vision for Apple Vision Pro brings golf fans inside the ropes and directly onto the tee boxes and greens of the world’s most iconic courses, no matter where they are,” said Scott Gutterman, PGA TOUR senior vice president, Digital Operations. “The PGA TOUR is proud to be the first professional golf app on this revolutionary new device, offering fans an innovative and immersive way to watch professional golf, and our fans can look forward to more unique, spatial experiences as the FedExCup Season progresses.”

PGA TOUR Vision displays key tournament information and video in 2D windows on top of a user’s space, while 3D-rendered models generated by Virtual Eye map real-time trails from live shot data captured during the tournament. Within 2D windows, fans can view leaderboards, scorecards, course information, schedule and tournament details, as well as video highlights. Live shot data is provided by ShotLink powered by CDW and made available to the app using the PGA TOUR’s AWS infrastructure. PGA TOUR Vision is developed by Quintar, the Official Mobile AR and XR Developer of the PGA TOUR, with UX and design led by digital product company Work & Co.

“Harnessing Quintar’s powerful spatial experience platform from prototype to launch and beyond, we are excited to be partnering with the PGA TOUR to bring PGA TOUR Vision to life,” said Dr. Jeff Jonas, Quintar president and chief business officer.

Fans can immerse themselves in a 3D hole model of No. 7 at Pebble Beach as if they are standing on it in the physical world, then watch real-time shot trails for players currently playing the hole or replays of previous shots from earlier in the day or previous rounds. Whether watching from the tee box or right on the green, key information including shot distance, apex and speed are always available for overlay within the experience to provide context to each shot trail. Users can also live stream the CBS simulcast of the third and fourth rounds of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am inside PGA TOUR Vision, as well as future FedExCup events televised on CBS/Paramount+.

Real Madrid signs HP as first sleeve partner

Real Madrid and HP have signed a global technology sponsorship agreement.

As part of the collaboration, HP will be the first brand to have its logo appear on the Real Madrid uniform sleeve in the Club’s 121-year history. The sponsorship spans men’s and women’s teams as well as youth programs.

The collaboration aims to accelerate the digital transformation of Club spaces and elevate the Real Madrid fan experience as part of the new Santiago Bernabeu complex and beyond, including in-person experiences, gaming and club operations.

Antonio Lucio: “Two iconic global brands with a shared passion” HP Chief Marketing and Corporate Affairs Officer explained: ” HP and Real Madrid are two iconic global brands with a shared passion for delighting fans, enabling exceptional performance and making a positive impact on communities. We are honored to partner with Real Madrid and see many exciting opportunities to harness the power of HP’s technology and brand to create amazing new experiences for fans while empowering the communities we share.”

ICC inks four-year partnership with Evision

The International Cricket Council has announced a four-year exclusive partnership with Evision, the media and entertainment arm of e& (formerly known as Etisalat Group) for rights to ICC men’s and women’s events in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) up until the end of 2027.

The broadcast and digital partnership includes the next four years of rights for all matches of the 10 men’s and four women’s senior events up until the end of 2027, including men’s and women’s U19 World Cups, beginning with the U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup currently taking place in South Africa.

ICC cricket will be available on evision proprietary channel CricLife MAX which is available on STARZPLAY, an evision group company and one of the top streaming services in the Middle East and North African Region.

Subscribers will also get an opportunity to enjoy all the best cricket content available from Bangladesh, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa and the West Indies in addition to major events.

ICC Chief Executive, Geoff Allardice said: “We are delighted to be partnering with evision which is an exciting addition to our suite of broadcast partners. There is already a large cricket fan base across the Middle East and North Africa, but there is a tremendous opportunity to grow the sport further in this strategically important region.”

Evision CEO, Olivier Bramly said: “This exclusive partnership with ICC is another step towards bringing the best and our commitment to cricket aficionados in the region. The broadcast of all ICC cricket events for the next four years is a promise to bring the exhilarating spirit of cricket directly to the hearts of our fans in MENA region. It is an opportunity to experience immersive cricket like never before, as we elevate the game and unite enthusiasts through every boundary and wicket. Together, we’re embarking on a thrilling journey of sporting passion and unparalleled excitement.”